Protective head covering



Jan. 31, 1961 E; R, DYE 2,969,547

PROTECTIVE HEAD covERINGy Filed Dec. 17, 1958 wjhtll V"lllLZ-GIHH llll-glllfm JIB'YIKZS lll l-:llf \|5|7 lm f-.

INVENTOR.

EDWARD R. DYE

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v T s in'r'll'entionv relates toja head covering, andfmoref' particularly tov ai device' adaptedJ to be wornv by childreny for piqteeting their yheads fremiijury eaused by blows; l. Young people, espeeially' children, are proneY to head injuries during' ordinaryforms of play-and'physiclpexl ercis. .Conventional hats or' caps afford", little or no'- protection;v andn prior devices, .which` were adapted to be" riferi;- by..y children to` protect' their' heads from' injury, were' d iiclt to put on, uncomfortable to wear, and irl-4 terf y, edfvviththeir,aetivitiesropsueh an extent that they were' either'A entirely impractical, or lthe child refused to wear the devices, -whilel ,engagedv in'x unsupervised pl-ay`.

yOne of the objects of this invention is to provide a resilient head Aprotective" device adaptedtobe worn by children which issimple to put on, cqmfortable to wear, andv warmt interfere with' the wearer" yactivities,

States Patent rice Another object of this invention is to provide avideof the Vcharacter described whichcan be' rnadean ap urtenance of the childs play by bein'gff colored' and/or provlded with attachments, suchl as feathers, lto forrn-a leddress for a particular game or; activity.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of the character described having improved means for adjustably securing it to the wearers head.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a protective head covering which in the main is made -of one piece of resilient material.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a protective head covering which has improved means for securing a chin strap and head band strap to the resilient piece.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a head covering of the character described which can be |worn as a liner for a hardshell helmet.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a device of the character described having simple means for fastening the head covering to the inner surface of a hardshell helmet.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved head covering of the character described which is light weight, effective in use, inexpensive to manufacture, and durable in construction.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the drawing, the specification, and the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a protective head covering constructed according to one embodiment of this invention when unwrapped and at;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the unwrapped and flat head covering;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken at line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a profile view of a person wearing .the protective head covering and showing the protective head covering in the position in which it is worn;

Fig. 5 is a rear view, of the person and of the protective head covering being worn;

2,969,547 Prterted Jari: 31, 19611?.l

rig. 6 is piane View Showing speisen' wearing-*ths ments to resembl'an Indian lieaddre'ss; andv ,'Fig. 7 Ais a sectional view of a hardshell helmet adapted to" be worn overth'` Vprotective head coveringshowing means for securing the'il'exiblefhelmet to the protectiveL headcoverinfg: l

vThe prtectivelhead covering illustrated is made fromv ajfsin'gle strip 1020i a flexibleresilient plastic, suchasVv erisolitel which isoff relatively'hi'gh density and which` liasenergy absorbing*characteristics; The strip 10, which' isifrom one-halfto three quarters' of an'inch'thick, mayl bge'stamped'outwith af die or cut'with' a' bandsa'w. It" comprisesja head bandportion 11 having'two integrallyE formed; downwardly eritending cheek pieces 12, and five? ir'itegrfally formed upwardly ejiten'ding 'spaced' crowf pices 14. l

The head bandpr'tien li'isadapted to nt around the head, and at opposite ends' it has securely attached two securingv straps 1'5. The straps 15 are adapted' to' be c'lnected a string'lty which interlaces througli'open# ings 11 in each f thest'raps 15 to diaw thev band p ortios'll" tightly over the warers head. The" two'v securing straps, which may be made of leather or canvas, for' example, are secured to" opposite ends ofA thehead'biand portion A11 by insertingl each ofthe straps 15 inl a resp'ci tiveV slit 18V formed inq each end o-f the head bandV 11",l `arid their gluiriiggthe straps" in the slits. Each ofthe'slits 1 may extend into the headband 11 as farv as the d'ot'td linesf19'in'Fig l; A The cheek pieces 12, which` are adapted to 'extend' downward in front of each ear to protectthe tender ear cartilage and tlief vulnerable temple portions of the head, are connected by cooperating chinr straps '2.1;v which are attached to the" lower end of the4` cheek piecesr 12; and are removably and adjustably attached to each other by cooperating snap members 22. The chin strap portions 21, which may be made of canvas or leather, for example, may also be secured to the cheek piece 12 by inserting and gluing each end of a chin strap 21 in a respective slit 23 in the lower end of each cheek piece. The slits may extend to the dotted lines 24 (see Fig. 1). Both the straps 15 and the chin lstraps 21 are glued on both sides in their respective slits 18 and 23, and the opposing inner surfaces of the slits not covered by the inserted pieces ,are glued together.

The upwardly extending crown pieces 14 protect the upper portions of the head, and can be adjustably drawn together around the top of the wearers head by means of a draw-string 25, which is adapted to be laced through openings 26 in each of the crown pieces 14, and tied at its opposite ends, as shown in Fig. 5.

It is apparent from the preceding description that the protective head covering may be adjusted to tit many sizes and shapes of heads; and once the drawstring 25 and the string 16 have been adjustably tied, it is only necessary to fasten and unf-astenl the snaps 22 on the chin strap 21 to put on and take off the device.

The strip 10 may be dipped in a latex solution or vinyl plastic to seal its porous surfaces, thereby making it water-proof; and it also can be dipped in colored elastic paint to add to its appearance. The upper edge of the head band 11 between the crown pieces 14 is provided with holes 28 (see Fig. 1), each of which is adapted to receive the quill portion of a colored feather 29 (see Fig. 6); and a beaded or otherwise painted decoration such as 30 may be put on the head band 1.1, so that the device resembles an Indian headdress.

During more dangerous forms of activities where it is desired to protect the wearers head from injury caused by sharp pointed instruments, a non-frangible helmet 35, such as shown in Fig. 7, which may be made of fiberglass or any other rigid material, can be worn over the protective head covering. When used in this manner, the resilient head covering acts as a cushioning and shock absorbing device between the head and the inner hard surface of the helmet 35, with the cheek pieces 12 giving added protection to the temples and the cartilage of the ears.

The inner surface of the hard shell helmet 35 is provided with attached strips of pressure sensitive tape 36 which is preferably placed to contact the head band 11 and the crown pieces 14, so that when the exible head covering is inserted therein, it is securely held in the helmet 35. Because pressure sensitive tape is very elective for shear resistance, the resilient covering 10 can be firmly secured in the helment 35. Because it is comparatively ineffective against direct tension, the flexible covering 10 can be easily peeled oi the tape without injury or marring of the head covering 10 when it is desired to be used without the helmet 35. The helmet 35 may also be painted, and have proper decalcomania thereon to resemble, for example, a motor cycle policeman, a jet pilot, or a spaceman.

Although intended primarily as a safety device for children, the exible head covering herein may also be worn by persons engaged in hazardous occupations, such as boxers, shipyard and construction workers, automobile racing car drivers and the like.

It is also useful to protect the heads of the aged or inrm who are in danger of falling while walking. It is not only an elective protective head covering but can be comfortably and inconspicuously worn beneath a conventional hat. Also, when riding or drivingan automobile, the protective head covering herein can be worn to protect the wearers head against impact in the event of sudden or panic stops.

While the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modication, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth, and as fall within the scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.

I claim:

A head gear, comprising a single piece of resilient, plastic, energy-absorbing material having a narrow headband portion, a plurality of equi-spaced lingers integral with said headband portion and extending upwardly from the upper side of said head band portion approximately at right angles thereto, two narrow cheek pieces integral with said head band portion and depending downwardly from the lower side of said headband portion at approximately right angles thereto, means for adjustably lacing opposed ends of said narrow head band portion together about the temples of a wearer of the headv covering,rmeans for adjustably drawing said fingers together around the head of the wearer above the temples so that said fingers extend over the crown of the wearers head approximately along arcs of a hemisphere, each of said cheek pieces being disposed, when said head band portion and said fingers are in the described positions on the head of the wearer, in front of the ears of the wearer, and means adapted to be passed under the chain of the wearer to connect said cheek pieces together, said energy-absorbing material when in position on the wearers head constituting in itself a protective head covering.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,375,845 Horan Apr. 26, 1921 2,140,716 Pryale .r Dec. 20, 1938 2,338,535 Peumer Jan. 4, 1944 2,458,025 Portal e Jan. 4, 1949 2,717,384 yFrothingham Sept. 13, 1955 

